Business leaders’ confidence in the digital skills of new entrants to the workplace has improved in the last six months, according to the latest Digital Disruption Index by Big Four accountant Deloitte. A growing number of business leaders think that school leavers and graduates have the right digital skills and experience, according to the new report.

“The skills gap is tough to directly address because of the continued rate of digital change. The challenge for many companies is taking control of the rate and nature of change and mapping out a clear digital transformation strategy. Once the strategy is in place, it can become easier to identify which skills are needed at which points in the future, therefore allowing companies to put in place the appropriate training and hiring processes in place in advance.

If companies only ever react to change by trying to acquire skills once the need arises, they will inevitably always fall short of fulfilling their requirements.”

“The skills gap is not a new phenomenon but there are ways an organisation can help improve cybersecurity from within. It can start with recruiters not overlooking soft skills. The reality is that today’s security pros need to go beyond technical expertise. Being a good communicator who can connect cybersecurity issues to business priorities, rally the rest of the organization to get involved, solve tough problems and handle sensitive issues with integrity are all extremely desirable traits for any security team. Moving forward, with newly established regulations, it will also be a requirement for all employees within an organisation to get more involved in the cybersecurity of a company, especially those within legal and compliance teams. Security is a shared responsibility, even for those without any technical cybersecurity experience. Furthermore, offering and promoting education and training to all those within an organisation, to help enforce best security practices, will bring the industry a step closer to bridging the skills gap.”